Ava DuVernay has agreed to write and direct a five-part miniseries with Netflix about the infamous case of five young men who were wrongly accused and convicted of a gruesome rape in New York City’s Central Park in 1989, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
This is DuVernay’s second project with Netflix, after 2016’s Oscar-nominated documentary 13th, which focused on the racial and ethnic disparities within the criminal-justice system, mass incarceration and private prisons.
“I had an extraordinary experience working with Netflix on 13th and am overjoyed to continue this exploration of the criminal justice system as a narrative project with Cindy Holland and the team there,” DuVernay said in a statement.
She continued:
The story of the men known as the Central Park Five has riveted me for than two decades. In their journey, we witness five innocent young men of color who were met with injustice at every turn—from coerced confessions to unjust incarceration to public calls for execution by the man who would go on to be the president of the United States.
Executive producers for the project include DuVernay, Jeff Skoll, Jonathan King from Participant Media, Oprah Winfrey with her Harpo Productions company, Jane Rosenthal and Berry Welsh from Tribeca Productions, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The series will span 1989 to 2014 and will break down each phase of the case, focusing on its mishandling and bringing to light the individual experiences of the men known as the Central Park Five: Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, Korey Wise and Raymond Santana.